Arizona Was Home To These Iconic Western Movies

Above, Monument Valley's West and East Mittens. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Living just 40 miles from the New Mexico/Arizona border on Interstate 40 has some great advantages. I can visit places in nearby states where classic westerns were filmed.

The region is best known as Four Corners, wherein four states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah) meet up.

Over the years, the Four Corners has been home to many movie locations and sets. Monument Valley and Old Tucson come immediately to mind. I have been to both. Monument Valley straddles the Arizona/Utah border.

Above, a familiar hotel and saloon set at Old Tucson Studios. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

AZCentral posted a list of movie sets used in westerns.

They begin with:

From shootouts and saloons to barren desert landscapes and iconic red rocks, Arizona has been home to some of the most memorable scenes in Western films.

Many Old West movies, from "Stagecoach" and "Tombstone" to "The Outlaw," were filmed at locations you can still visit today. Stars from John Wayne and Kurt Russel to Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra have also graced the Grand Canyon State filming locations.

While some of the sets have been adapted for tourists, other stops remain exactly the same.

So are you in the mood for a walk down memory lane? Here are Western film sets you can visit in Arizona.

To read more, go here. 

Grand Canyon Camping Fees Going Up

Above, Grand Canyon's Trailer Village. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Like everything else these days, the cost to camp in a national park is going up.

The latest is Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. For the first time in 20 years, camping fees are going up.

AZCentral reported:

Grand Canyon National Park is raising fees at its campgrounds for the first time in 20 years.

Fees will increase for standard campsites at the Desert View and Mather campgrounds at the South Rim and at the North Rim Campground.

Prices will be going up for tent and RV sites. It's the first time Grand Canyon has increased these fees since 2005.

How much does it cost to camp at the Grand Canyon?

Starting May 1, 2025, standard campground fees at Grand Canyon will be $30 per night.

Certain national park passholders — seniors with the Senior pass and disabled visitors with the Access pass — receive a 50% discount on camping fees. Under the new rate, they'll pay $15 per night.

To read more, go here. 

Gun Control Coming If Democrats Win The Arizona Legislature?

Above, yours truly at a Lake Havasu skeet range in December. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

When I was in Lake Havasu, Arizona in October and over the Christmas holiday, I noticed that the city has as many gun stores as the San Fernando Valley has nail salons. At least it seemed that way. While I was in Arizona in October, I bought a shotgun at a great price.

I don't know if it is true for the rest of the state, but the people of Lake Havasu City cherish their second amendment rights. 

Since this is an election year, the worry by some in Arizona is that should the Democrats gain control of the legislature, gun control will soon be shoved their throats. 

One Republican legislator from Prescott Valley is sounding the alarm. He fled Vietnam as a child, so he values the Second Amendment for good reason.

AZCentral has posted an article on what to expect if Democrats take control of the state legislature.

It begins with:

A Prescott Republican lawmaker warned over the weekend that Arizona could see a crackdown on guns should Democrats win control of the Legislature this fall.

He said it like that’s a bad thing.

Rep. Quang Nguyen was attending a gun rights rally on Saturday, just three days after gunmen transformed a Kansas City Chiefs victory parade into a shooting gallery, killing a mother of two and wounding 22 others, more than half of them children.

His comments came just a day after seven people were shot to death in Alabama, including four men at a neighborhood car wash …

… But just hours before two Minneapolis police officers and a firefighter were killed by a man who had barricaded himself inside his home with his wife and seven children.

"I'm telling you right now, if for some reason we lose the House and Senate and the Ninth Floor (Governor’s Office), I guarantee you, you wouldn't be able to walk around with your firearm," Nguyen said, during the 11th Annual Celebrate & Protect Second Amendment Rally at Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza. "Your rights to keep and bear arms will be taken away from you in a flash."

To read more, go here. 

Grand Canyon Shuttles

Above, a Grand Canyon shuttle bus. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During my last visit to Grand Canyon National Park in November 2017, my roommate Jessica and I stayed at Trailer Village at the Grand Canyon Village inside the park. It is the only campground for RVs with full hook-ups. Reservations are advised.

We made extensive use of the park's shuttle system. A shuttle stop was at the entrance to Trailer Village, which made it easy. The shuttles are free, by the way.

For those who don't want to drive inside the park, shuttles are available. AZCentral posted an article on the Grand Canyon shuttles.

AZCentral starts with:

Summer is the busiest time of year to visit Grand Canyon National Park. Lines to enter the South Rim are long and parking fills up fast.

Peak-season visitors can expect up to a two-hour wait at the entrance station north of Tusayan and parking lots hit capacity as early as noon. 

Want to avoid that lengthy traffic jam and frustrating search for parking? Leave your car outside the park and ride the free Grand Canyon shuttle. 

The seasonal service begins Saturday, May 28, and connects visitors to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center where they can hop on other shuttles that traverse the South Rim. 

Here’s how to ride the Grand Canyon shuttle.

To read more, go here. 

What To Expect At The Grand Canyon In Winter

Above, the Colorado River continues to carve the Grand Canyon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During the winter season, the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is closed for the season.

However, the South Rim remains open during the winter months. Is winter a good time to visit Grand Canyon National Park?

According to AZCentral, it is.

They have posted an article on what one can expect there.

The article begins with:

Winter is coming to the Grand Canyon. Cold, crisp air combined with snow atop red and orange rock formations are highlights of visiting at this time of year. There also are fewer visitors in winter, so you might find a little more solitude on trails and at overlooks.

But seeing this natural wonder during the winter requires some planning. The days will be shorter, the temps colder, it's often windy and you could encounter snowy or icy road conditions.

Grand Canyon National Park wants visitors to know that the South Rim is open all winter, with some modifications to its operations. Here's what the park says people should know about visiting Grand Canyon in winter.

To read more, go here. 

Monument Valley Is Open; Questions Answered

Above, The Left and Right Mittens at dusk. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Monument Valley Tribal Park is open at 50% capacity.

The tribal park straddles the Arizona-Utah border in the Navajo Nation and is best known for being featured in westerns starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford.

AZCentral has posted a gallery of photos and answers to questions on visiting.

According to the article, Monument Valley's campground and RV sites are closed. But nearby are Goulding's Resort RV & Campground and a KOA Kampground, which are both open. I stayed at Goulding's and they offer tours of Monument Valley. I took one of their half-day tours.

They begin with:

After more than a year of being closed during the pandemic, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park has reopened. 

The park that straddles the Arizona/Utah state line opened in July after the Navajo Nation determined that the reservation has achieved the yellow status of its COVID-19 reopening plan. Under yellow status, businesses and attractions can open at 50% capacity.  

Other destinations on the Navajo Nation — Canyon de Chelly, Antelope Canyon, Navajo National Monument, Hubbell Trading Post and Four Corners Monument — also are open under the 50 percent capacity rule. Visit your destination's website for specific COVID-19 guidelines. 

Here is everything you need to know to plan a trip to Monument Valley. 

Above, a view of Goulding's Resort RV & Campground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

Arizona: How To Find A Campsite

Above, Ashurst Lake Dispursed Campground near Flagstaff last summer. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Being cooped up at home for months has made people wanting to get out and do something and camping looks to be the safest way to "get away from it all."

However, with so many people wanting to get out, RV sales and rentals have skyrocketed and this is resulting in campsites being hard to find. But, there are things one can do and AZCentral has an article on what people can do to find a campsite in Arizona.

They begin with:

Camping in Arizona has a lot to offer, with a multitude of world-class destinations, jaw-dropping scenery and abundant outdoor recreation.

You can wake up in the desert at Lost Dutchman State Park, in one of the seven natural wonders of the world at Grand Canyon, by a sparkling lake in western Arizona or under pine trees in a high-country national forest.

Those hoping to nab a campsite this summer need to know the cold hard facts, however; Coronavirus shutdowns and stay-at-home advice over the past year have triggered a flood of visitors wanting to get out and do something. Reservations at popular campgrounds can be very difficult to come by. They're often snapped up months — even a year — in advance.  

Here's what you need to know about finding and reserving a campsite in Arizona this summer. 

To read more, go here.

Grand Canyon National Park's East Entrance Reopening Tomorrow

Above, the Grand Canyon's Desert View Watchtower. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

At long last, there's some good news to report concerning the east entrance to Grand Canyon National Park.

There are some things to know about it and AZCentral has posted an article with the "skinny" on the reopening.

AZCentral reported:

Grand Canyon National Park's east entrance — the location of the historic Desert View Watchtower — has been closed for most of the pandemic. It will reopen on Thursday, April 8.

Since April 1, 2020, the east entrance and State Route 64, the scenic highway that leads to, have been closed in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions on the Navajo Nation. The park closed the entrance to discourage travelers from passing through the reservation, which had imposed lockdown and curfew regulations.

The reopening was announced Wednesday by park Superintendent Ed Keable and was based on input from tribal and state officials and community members.

To read more, go here. 

Great Escape After COVID-19 Isolation

Above, for me, Petrified Forest National Park is 105 miles away. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The "light at the end of the [COVID-19'] tunnel" is still not quite in sight, but we're slowly creeping there.

What to do for a "great escape" after coronavirus isolation?

An opinion piece in AZCentral suggests visiting a national park. Any national park. There 63 of them to choose from.

They begin with:

With COVID-19 vaccinations now available, it is possible that by the end of 2021 a semblance of normal will be possible.

What do Americans want to do when pandemic is in the rear view mirror? Polling data is clear. We want to travel.

So where should we go? The bucket list locations are inviting. A safari in Africa, the pyramids of Egypt, Machu Picchu, river cruises in Europe, capitals of Europe to include London, Paris, Rome and Madrid; Jerusalem, Galapagos, the Taj Mahal, Vietnam; climb Mount Fuji, Kathmandu and Mount Everest; Dubrovnik, New Zealand and Australia, Antarctica; running with the bulls in Pamplona; and many more.

I suggest another choice. The national parks of the United States.

To read more, go here. 

Grand Canyon National Park Closes Until Further Notice

Above, the Visitor Center at the South Rim. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

We can add Grand Canyon National Park to our list of closed national parks due to the coronavirus.

According to AZCentral:

The Grand Canyon National Park announced in a press release on Wednesday that it would close to the public after receiving a request to do so from Coconino County health officials. 

The park would close immediately until further notice, the press release said. The closure follows an announcement earlier this week that a Delaware North employee is the Grand Canyon South Rim's first identified case of the new coronavirus.

To read more, go here. 

New Arizona "Welcome" Signs Unveiled

Above, the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona is one of the designs of the new "welcome" signs. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The state of Arizona will be putting up new "welcome" signs featuring six different landscapes.

According to AZCentral:

The Grand Canyon is among six iconic Arizona landscapes that will appear on new signs welcoming visitors to the state. 

Gov. Doug Ducey, the Arizona Office of Tourism and the state Department of Transportation Wednesday unveiled designs for new “Welcome to Arizona" signs that will replace nearly 3-decades-old signs along highways near borders with other states. 

According to Ducey's office, other landscapes that will appear on the the new signs include Saguaro National Park in the Tucson area, Sedona's Red Rocks, Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River, the San Francisco Peaks overlooking Flagstaff and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument along the U.S.-Mexico border.

To read more and see some of the designs, go here. 

Zion National Park: Worth Going To On Holiday Weekends?

Above, Zion's Checkerboard Mesa. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The first time I visited Zion National Park was in August 1969 (we heard the news bulletin about the Sharon Tate murders while there) and there weren't any crowds.

Today, there are nothing but crowds (especially on holiday weekends) at Zion National Park.

AZCentral asks the question, "Is it worth visiting on a holiday weekend?"

They begin with:

Zion National Park is crowded. Even more so on holiday weekends. Here are some facts from the Fourth of July 2019: 

• More than 94,000 people visited over the four-day holiday weekend, the park said on Facebook.
• Wait times were up to 90 minutes to board a park shuttle.
• Hikers waited up to four hours at the trailhead for Angels Landing.
• Zion's parking lot was full by 8:30 a.m. July 5 and 6.
• Parking in Springdale, Utah, just outside Zion's western entrance, was nearly full by 1 p.m. both days.

My preference for visiting national parks is during the off-season and not during holiday weekends. Who wants to join thousand of other people "wanting to get away from it all"?

To read more, go here.

Nike's Shameful Retreat

Above, the "offensive" shoes.

During my younger days, Nike sports shoes were me favorite go-to shoes for casual wear.

It seems that the company is now being led by the nose by NFL failure Colin Kaepernick when he claimed is "offensive" by the Betsy Ross American flag on special-edition Independence Day sports shoes that were already made and shipped to stores.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

Nike Inc. NKE -0.53% is yanking a U.S.A.-themed sneaker featuring an early American flag after NFL star-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick told the company it shouldn’t sell a shoe with a symbol that he and others consider offensive, according to people familiar with the matter. 

The sneaker giant created the Air Max 1 USA in celebration of the July Fourth holiday, and it was slated to go on sale this week. The heel of the shoe featured a U.S. flag with 13 white stars in a circle, a design created during the American Revolution and commonly referred to as the Betsy Ross flag. 

It was an act of politically correct cowardliness of Nike to pull the shoes. I would never buy from Nike again after this.

At least one Republican governor is not taking this lying down.

From AZCentral:

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday slammed Nike for canceling the release of a shoe featuring an early design of the American flag, saying it had "bowed to the current onslaught of political correctness and historical revisionism." 

Calling Nike's decision a "shameful retreat" on Twitter, the Republican leader vowed to withdraw financial incentives recently promised to the company in exchange for opening a manufacturing plant in Goodyear with some 500 full-time jobs.

To read more, go here.

Meanwhile, on the end of the spectrum, the poor excuse of a governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Tweeted, "Hey @Nike, let's talk."

Ultimate Road Trips

Above, Monument Valley is at top of the list of ultimate road trips. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Want to take an ultimate road trip, but don't know where?

AZCentral has an article (with plenty of photographs) of some great road trips.

They begin with:

Want to go on the ultimate road trip? Then you've come to the right place (err, pit stop).
The best road trip is a five-day Monument Valley trails route in the Southwest, according to data firm Geotab's Road Trip Ratings report.  

"Awe-inspiring views of the rock formations of Monument Valley, Valley of the Gods and the Natural Bridges National Monument are enough to make this road trip an all-time classic," the Monument Valley Trails entry reads. "The route heads out on Highway 163 then follows a counter-clockwise loop, with detours for Hovenweep National Monument, Blanding and the natural bridges." 

Other routes rounding out the top 10 included three in the Rocky Mountains, two more in the Southwest and several in the Pacific Northwest, among others.

To read more, go here. 

Study Finds Grand Canyon Has Cleaner Air Than Other National Parks

Above, the Grand Canyon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A new study found that many of our national parks have unhealthy ozone levels, some more than others.

According to an article in AZCentral:

A new study from Iowa State University and Cornell University found national parks average 25 days per year with unhealthy ozone levels. 

Air pollution in national parks is as bad as some of the largest metro areas in the U.S. — though the Grand Canyon National Park is a breath of fresh air in comparison, according to a new study. 

On average, national parks spend about 25 days per year with unhealthy levels of ozone. This could cause a drop in visitors, especially when the parks and local communities publicly release health warnings, said Ivan Rudik, one of the study's co-authors. 

But there's good news for Arizona's natural wonder — the Grand Canyon only has nine of these days each year. Two years, it didn't have any.

To read more, go here.

Arizona's Other Big Hole

Above a view of the crater. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last year, while en route to Metropolis, Illinois, I stopped at Meteor Crater in Arizona. It is the best-preserved crater formed by an impacting meteor.

AZCentral wrote:

Arizona is best known for its giant hole in the ground, a feature that became the state's license-plate slogan and has etched itself into the hearts of tourists around the world.
But Grand Canyon isn’t the state’s only hole in the ground that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. 

Meteor Crater is a geological warm-up act to the Canyon, an interesting diversion worth visiting for an hour or so (more if you browse the gift shop or have lunch at the sandwich shop). 

And you don't want to miss the story of how the attraction all started with a miner willing to sink his family's fortune into the pit. 

Fifty thousand years ago, give or take a millennium, a 150-foot-wide iron-nickel meteorite slammed to Earth, killing every living thing within a few miles. 

The mile-wide, 550-foot-deep gouge people see today was crafted in roughly 10 seconds when the meteorite, traveling at 26,000 mph, crash-landed in what was then a forest of juniper and piñon pines. 

Thanks to orbital physics, gravity and human-migration patterns, the meteorite hit a spot just 5 miles off the future site of a major interstate. Billboards to the east and west tout the privately owned landmark, beckoning travelers who could use a break. 

The crater is more a stopover than a destination, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The space-crafted bowl draws more than 200,000 people annually, and it’s likely the vast majority have pulled over on the way to Grand Canyon or while exploring Route 66. More than a few probably stood on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, 26 miles to the east and the closest town to the crater.

Above, the Meteor Crater Visitor Center. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A visit to Meteor Crater is worth it. The visitor center has plenty of exhibits to view. It has a parking lot designated for RV travelers.

There's a nice, handy RV park with a gas station and store at the exit off Interstate 40 for those who want to take a breather from driving.

Above, The Beast at Meteor Crater RV Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here.